With its twisting postures, inversion postures, muscle strengthening, etc., yoga can be very effective in maintaining your figure! Discover the best yoga postures to do to burn maximum calories.
By providing breath work, by using the muscles of both the upper and lower body, by helping you to makes changes to your lifestyle, by reducing stress, yoga is a beneficial physical activity to trim your figure, and even, why not, lose a few kilos. Yoga teacher Laure Dary tells us what types of yoga and which postures to choose to maximise its benefits.
Breathing, postures, a healthy lifestyle... How to use yoga to keep a nice figure
The regular practice of yoga is beneficial to your figure, Laure Dary reminds us. And this physical activity will help on several levels:
Yoga helps reduce stress
A regular yoga practice will allow you to lower your cortisol rate (the stress hormone, which involves the production of fat cells and supports accumulation of fat!). Thus, by carrying out yoga postures, “we store less fat, and we snack less, which will in itself allow us to shed unwanted pounds quickly!”, explains the yoga teacher.
Yoga helps to tone and stretch the body
Standing, sitting, lying down... Thanks to the sequences of the different yoga postures, you'll develop your muscles and stretch both the upper and lower body. Regular practice, (always combined with a healthy lifestyle!), keeps legs light and streamlined. Also, your back muscles will be strengthened, your tummy will become flatter and your arms will get slimmer... Yes, yoga will help you keep a nice figure!
Yoga offers breath work
Breathing is an integral part of the “detoxification” process... By breathing fully, and using breathing techniques such as ”Nauli”or the ”uddiyana bandha”, we stimulate the digestive and lymphatic systems, allowing the body to”deflate” quickly, Laure Dary tells us. “So combine yoga postures with breathing exercises, and you have the winning combo to keep your body firm and healthy!”
Yoga leads to a change in lifestyle
When we talk about yoga, we tend to focus on the postures, but the practice of yoga does not stop on the mat, it is actually a way of life. By taking up yoga, in fact, you can quickly adopt a better lifestyle: reconnecting with your body, rediscovering sensations, living mindfully, and also discovering the pleasure of eating with full awareness.
“Often, this practice invites us to choose more raw, healthy, and fresh foods. Although we can, of course, still have little treats from time to time... It's all a question of balance!”, explains the yoga teacher.
Yoga for weight loss : which type of yoga to choose?
Hatha yoga, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Yin yoga... There are many different yoga practices, each with their own benefits for the mind and body.
Certain yoga practices are better for burning calories, says Laure Dary, because they have faster successive movements. Vinyasa or Warrior yoga, for example, are practices to turn to if you particularly want to challenge your muscles and work up a sweat!
To burn even more calories, you can choose Bikram yoga, also known as Hot yoga: you perform postures in a heated room, which will activate sweating thus allowing you to eliminate faster.
Yoga : how to burn maximum calories during the session?
If you can stand it, you can practice yoga on an empty stomach, so your body can use up fat during the session, explains Laure Dary.
A final piece of advice, probably the most valuable one, is to always remember to practice mindfully, that is, focusing on your sensations, on the here and now of the experience, without thinking about the results, but rather on the pleasure of the moment...”This state of mind changes everything!”, assures the yoga teacher.
Thanks to Laure Dary, yoga teacher and founder of the digital studio L.D Programme, www.lauredarystudio.com
